This is the tenth of a series of short articles on various deities. As I am not a Hindu myself, I would appreciate any feedback from Hindus.
Skanda: the abandoned deity
The birth of Skanda was anything but routine; even by divine standards. Shiva had been in union with his wife, Durga, for so long that the other gods became worried about the result. They persuaded Shiva to practise abstinence from that day forth but a drop of sperm landed in a fire. Agni, the god of fire, removed the resultant embryo and deposited it within Garga. But the heat was too intense for her and she abandoned the egg on Mount Meru. When Skanda was born, the Pleiades adopted him and suckled him.
The divine commander
The gods were still worried and even considered killing Shiva’s son. But he was good-looking, courageous and physically strong and, after meeting him, the gods subjugated themselves to him and petitioned him for protection.
Shiva, however, recognised his son and Skanda placed himself under his father’s orders. War, liberation and violence were his domains and he was soon given his task: to wrest the world from the grip of the asanas, led by Taraka, who were wreaking havoc. As commander of the divine armies and armed with a magical device that granted him invincibility, Skanda defeated the foe.
Skanda is honoured throughout India and has many temples devoted to him.
Ganesha and Skanda – Sibling rivals
Skanda had a brother, Ganesha, who was blessed with cunning. The siblings were very competitive and when they wanted to marry, their parents agreed that whichever circled the world the fastest would be the first to wed. On receiving the challenge, impulsive Skanda raced ahead of his brother. The more thoughtful Ganesha first obeyed the Vedic ritual of circling his parents seven times to gain their leave. As a reward, he won the competition and was given two wives: Buddhi (intelligence) and Siddhi (success).
Skanda’s wives
Nevertheless, Skanda did eventually marry. Indra, king of the gods, met a young girl, Devasena, in battle with an asura. After she had been rescued, Devasena (meaning ‘army of the gods’) told Indra that she wanted a husband. He presented her to Skanda.
Skanda’s other wife was Valli, a huntress who was the daughter of the mountain.
The dark side
The circumstances of Skanda’s birth had left their mark and the god had some very dark aspects.
Having had no real mother, he became misogynistic, pursuing women and threatening them with disease and death following childbirth.
Although Hindus pray to him for help with fertility, he is known as a child abductor, working alongside the Pleiades. Rituals were sometimes performed to appease or ward off their evil influence.
The Pleiades: The Seven Wives of the Sages in Hindu mythology
Do you have any personal experience of or interest in Skanda or Hinduism that you would like to share? If so, please leave a comment below.
References/Sources used (please use my bookstore if you want to order the books):
Comte, F. (1991) ‘The Wordsworth Dictionary of Mythology’, Wordsworth, Kent
Image attributions
Skanda image is in the public domain.
Pleiades image (c) Rochus Hess. Used with permission
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